


picture in a frame

by lerayon



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Family Feels, Feels, Olicity Wedding, Queen Family, Queen siblings, Smoak Family, Wedding, Wedding Feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-12
Updated: 2015-12-12
Packaged: 2018-05-06 08:43:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5410388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lerayon/pseuds/lerayon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An Arrow future fic inspired by the episode 4x09 engagement of Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak</p>
            </blockquote>





	picture in a frame

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SailorSlayer3641](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorSlayer3641/gifts).



> Dedicated to my friend Dawn, who yelled at me on Thursday for giving her Smoak-Queen Family Feels (I believe her words were, “I can’t…not today, Satan”) 
> 
> Titled after the Tom Waits song of the same name

Thea pushed open the loft’s guest room door, knocking as she stepped inside. “Hey, are you almost ready? We can’t get this thing started until you’re in place downstairs.”

Oliver was standing in front of a floor-length mirror, clad in his tuxedo and fiddling with his bow tie. He didn’t respond – just shot her reflection an impatient look.

“What? I knocked,” she shrugged. “When Dig texted that you two had arrived, I figured that meant we’d be getting started soon.”

“Yeah, we will. I just can’t get this thing to sit right.”

Thea raised her eyebrows, and tried to suppress a smile. Her big brother was nervous. Adorable. “Seriously, Oliver? You’ve been wearing those things longer than I’ve been alive. You’re not nervous are you?”

Oliver gave her that look again, this time accompanied by a warning, “Thea.”

She couldn’t help but giggle at him, and smirked, “The Green Arrow. Nervous on his wedding day. Damn, guess I owe Dig 20 bucks.”

That made him huff a small laugh. “Speedy, are you going to keep teasing me, or are you going to help?”

Thea dropped the smirk in favor of a fond smile, and decided to let him off the hook. “Come here.”

Oliver turned and walked over to her. She pulled the left bow a little tighter and flattened the front. Seconds later, she tapped his lapel. “There. Perfect.”

Oliver stepped back to the mirror and nudged at the tie some more. Thea was mid-eye roll and about to tease him again, when she noticed his unoccupied hand moving in a familiar gesture. The pads of his thumb and forefinger were rubbing together restlessly. She eased next to him and reached out to still the motion she’d come to associate with his worry or agitation. “Hey,” she said softly, her voice edged with concern, “are you okay?”

He stopped his fidgeting and patted her hand, gave her a reassuring smile. “Yeah. I’m _great_. But maybe just a little…anxious. I haven’t seen Felicity since yesterday afternoon.”

Thea’s face broke into a wide grin and she practically squealed, “Aww! _Ollie_!” She gripped his hand tighter. She thought she would never be more excited than she was the night she watched Oliver propose to Felicity, the two of them bathed in the glow of the Star City Christmas tree. Yet, here she was today: heart near-bursting with elation. After everything they had been through together, Oliver and Felicity were finally getting married! And her dumb sap of a brother was all _gooey_ about it. It was too much.

“Anyway,” he said, blushing slightly and gently extracting his hand from her clench. (“Oh my god, he's _blushing_ ,” Thea thought), “thanks for helping with the tie. Where’d you learn how to do that anyway?”

“Hmm...?” Thea was still thinking about how funny it was to see him so stupidly in love, so it took a second for her brain to register his question. “Oh, um, Mom. I asked her to teach me once; she always tied Walter’s. And Dad’s. She smiled wistfully at the memory, then looked back up at Oliver. He was giving her a small, sad smile of his own. She knew he was thinking the same thing she was: How different a day like today would be if their parents were still alive.

**_Thea had thought about this many times over the past several months while she watched, and sometimes helped, Oliver and Felicity plan the wedding. The first time she really felt their absence was the day she and Felicity sat in the loft scrolling through invitation ideas on Felicity’s tablet. _ **

**_“What’s with all these calligraphy flourishes? It’s a wedding, not a coronation.”_ **

**_"Seriously, right? Although, this ceremony will make you a Queen, so…”_ **

**_"Ha! True, but still. Ugh, look at this one. There is no way we’re using the words, ‘In celebration of our precious love’ on our invitations. Creepy.”_ **

**_“Flag that one for Ollie just to see how he reacts.”_ **

**_Half an hour later, Thea noticed Felicity had been rejecting all of the ideas that would read something like, “Donna Smoak requests the pleasure of your company at the marriage of her daughter Felicity Megan Smoak to Oliver Jonas Queen,” or some similar variation that included the names of the couple’s parents. Instead she gravitated towards wording like, “Felicity Smoak and Oliver Queen joyfully invite you to celebrate their wedding.” Felicity said she preferred a more modern approach, but Thea suspected she couldn’t bear to see Oliver’s name all alone; her mom’s name calling attention to the ones that couldn’t be listed._ **

**_Driving home that night to the apartment she shared with Laurel, Thea had cried thinking about how Ollie’s wedding day would be tinged with sadness – how, someday maybe, hers would be too. But, stopped at a red light, searching the glove box for a tissue to blow her runny nose, she thought back to Felicity’s sweet gesture, and smiled. Robert and Moira would be pleased to know that Oliver had found someone who so thoughtfully cared for him with such quiet ease._ **

“Anyway,” Thea said, in an abrupt attempt to chase away the melancholy that always accompanied happy memories of their parents, “you look great, and you’re going to lose it when you see Felicity in her dress.”

With a smile, Oliver tilted his head and shifted his weight a little in another familiar movement Thea had privately dubbed, The Smoaked Shuffle. She had never seen it performed away from Felicity’s actual physical presence. Thea pressed her lips together to keep from commenting; she didn’t think Oliver was aware he did that, and didn’t want to call it to his attention. The move was too priceless to risk losing, and now that she knew she could cause it just by mentioning Felicity’s name? Well, Thea could maybe have some fun with that.

She was making a mental note to test this again later, when someone knocked on the door. She and Oliver simultaneously called out, “Come in,” and Felicity’s mom popped her head into the room.

“Knock, knock, kids. Oh! Oliver, you look so handsome!” Donna swept inside with a dazzling smile.

“Does Felicity need something?” Thea asked. She had come to check on Oliver and make sure things were running smoothly, but also wanted to give Felicity and her mom some time alone. They had all spent the morning getting ready in the master bedroom, and Thea figured they would want some quiet moments with just the two of them before the ceremony.

“Oh, no, hon. She’s all set. You have been the _perfect_ Maid of Honor. I actually wanted to talk to you and Oliver. I have a little something that I thought you could carry with you today.” In her hands, Donna held two small boxes wrapped in silver and green paper. She gave one each to Thea and Oliver.

“Donna, you didn’t have--” Oliver began, just as Thea said, “We can’t--"

She stopped their protests with a raise of her hands. “None of that. Now open them. We don’t have a lot of time.” She gestured at Oliver, “And I suspect this one’s anxious to get himself downstairs and married.”

Thea grinned and unwrapped her gift, while Oliver did the same with his. Before lifting the lid, she glanced up to see Donna watching them closely, her hands clasped under her chin in anticipation. Nestled inside the box was a rectangular, sterling silver locket on a delicate chain. Thea lifted it, opened the latch, and gasped.

On the right side was a picture of her family, taken the Christmas before the Queen’s Gambit sank. It was one of the last times the four Queens were all photographed together, and the last time she and her mother had celebrated the holiday – or at least it was until Oliver returned home.

Next to it was a second photo; this one showed Thea and Oliver standing with Felicity and Donna on the night of the engagement. Thea remembered how - after Oliver and Felicity had received personal congratulations from nearly every person who attended the tree lighting - Donna had insisted Captain Lance take the picture with his phone. ( ** _Yours has the fancy camera like Felicity’s. Thank you, babe._** )

Tears welled in Thea’s eyes and she swallowed down a lump forming in the back of her throat. She looked to Oliver. He held a folding picture frame - square, also silver, and the size of a compact. It carried the same two pictures. His eyes glistened with tears, but he was beaming down at Donna. He pulled her into a hug.

“Thank you,” he whispered hoarsely.

Thea stood, crying silently, and watched as Donna held her brother for a long time. When she did pull away, Donna kept her hands on his shoulders, and looked straight into his eyes. Her expression was warm but also serious. “Oliver, thank you for taking such good care of my baby girl. I know you’ll love each other well.” She finished with a single assured nod. Oliver nodded in return, and slipped the frame into his jacket’s inside pocket. Donna patted the spot, just over his heart, and turned to Thea. When she saw her face, Donna's eyes widened in concern.

“Oh, no, _sweetie_! Please don’t cry! Come here.” Donna folded Thea into her arms. Holding her tight, Donna said, “Felicity considers you a sister, Thea. Growing up, she always wanted a sibling, and I’m so glad she has you now.”

Thea nodded and sniffled. When Donna released her, Thea realized that Oliver was hovering at her side. He wordlessly took the locket she’d been holding tightly by its chain, and stepped behind her to fasten it around her neck. When he finished, he rested his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. Thea looked down and touched the pendant lying against her flushed skin. “Thank you, Donna," she managed, carefully running a finger under her eyes in an attempt to wipe away her tears without smearing her makeup.

Donna dabbed at the corners of her own eyes. “You’re very welcome, sweetheart. Now, I think we could both use a little touch-up. We’ll all be a soggy mess by the time the ceremony is over, but we can at least walk down the aisle with our pageant faces on!”

Thea and Oliver both laughed, and Thea replied, “Okay, I'll be right behind you.”

Donna nodded and left the room, leaving the Queen siblings alone.

Thea turned around and hugged Oliver. “I love you, Ollie. Mom and Dad would be so proud of you today.”

Oliver squeezed her and said, “Thanks, Speedy. I love you too.”

\-----

Listen to Tom Waits's Picture in a Frame [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pwxD8quPCg)


End file.
